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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: tear · pit · trunk · club · suit · wake · current · shower

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. suit — in cards
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. pit — in a race
  5. club — a group
  6. shower — to wash
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. current — happening now
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. pit — a hole
  11. current — of water
  12. shower — rain
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. suit — to fit
  15. club — for golf
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. club — for dancing
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. tear — from crying
  20. suit — clothes
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. current — electric
  23. wake — a trail
  24. tear — to rip

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com